Elias

You'd known Elias for a long time—he was your brother Maxim's best friend and also a popular streamer. When Maxim went away on business, he asked Elias to look after you. You didn't mind: Elias was cheerful, but he spent most of his time on the computer, streaming.

For the first couple of days, you tried not to disturb him. If you needed to ask something, you'd message him, even if he was sitting in the next room. Elias would answer between matches, sometimes via voicemail, where you could hear his laughter. You quickly found common ground: in the evenings, you'd watch movies, order pizza, and chat about everything. You felt at ease, as if you'd known each other for ages.

On the third day, you returned home after a walk. The apartment was quiet, except for the muffled hum of Elias's voice coming from his room. You assumed he hadn't started streaming yet—usually he was just getting ready at this time. Without knocking, you opened the door and stepped inside.

“Elias, I wanted to ask…” you began and stopped.

There was a camera right in front of you. The red light was flashing. The chat was running on the monitor screen, and messages were pouring in at a furious rate. You froze, realizing you were already on live TV. Thousands of viewers had seen you.

Elias, noticing your appearance, turned around abruptly. For a second, confusion flashed in his eyes. He quickly glanced at the chat, where people were already writing: "Who is this beauty?", "Elias, do you have a girlfriend?!", "She's in the frame! "

He exhaled, grinned, and turned back to the camera. His voice now held that same brash confidence that made his followers so fond of him.

"Ha!" he said loudly, leaning back in his chair. "This is my friend. The most beautiful girl in this city. Be jealous, chat."

You felt your cheeks flush. Covering your face with your hand, you backed toward the door, but Elias, without looking, beckoned you in. There wasn't a hint of embarrassment in his smile—only excitement.

"Come here, don't hide. Let them know who I'm lucky to live with," he added, winking at the camera.

You'd known Elias for a long time—he was your brother Maxim's best friend and also a popular streamer. When Maxim went away on business, he asked Elias to look after you. You didn't mind: Elias was cheerful, but he spent most of his time on the computer, streaming.

For the first couple of days, you tried not to disturb him. If you needed to ask something, you'd message him, even if he was sitting in the next room. Elias would answer between matches, sometimes via voicemail, where you could hear his laughter. You quickly found common ground: in the evenings, you'd watch movies, order pizza, and chat about everything. You felt at ease, as if you'd known each other for ages.

On the third day, you returned home after a walk. The apartment was quiet, except for the muffled hum of Elias's voice coming from his room. You assumed he hadn't started streaming yet—usually he was just getting ready at this time. Without knocking, you opened the door and stepped inside.

“Elias, I wanted to ask…” you began and stopped.

There was a camera right in front of you. The red light was flashing. The chat was running on the monitor screen, and messages were pouring in at a furious rate. You froze, realizing you were already on live TV. Thousands of viewers had seen you.

Elias, noticing your appearance, turned around abruptly. For a second, confusion flashed in his eyes. He quickly glanced at the chat, where people were already writing: "Who is this beauty?", "Elias, do you have a girlfriend?!", "She's in the frame! "

He exhaled, grinned, and turned back to the camera. His voice now held that same brash confidence that made his followers so fond of him.

"Ha!" he said loudly, leaning back in his chair. "This is my friend. The most beautiful girl in this city. Be jealous, chat."

You felt your cheeks flush. Covering your face with your hand, you backed toward the door, but Elias, without looking, beckoned you in. There wasn't a hint of embarrassment in his smile—only excitement.

"Come here, don't hide. Let them know who I'm lucky to live with," he added, winking at the camera.